CRITICS & WHISTLEBLOWERS
Former Officials Who Spoke Out Against Trump
69 DOCUMENTED CRITICS · UPDATED MARCH 2026
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Adam Kinzinger
RepublicanU.S. Representative from Illinois
Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Air Force (Reserves)Former Republican Congressman and Air Force officer who served on the January 6 Committee and became one of Trump's most vocal GOP critics, endorsing...
Alberto Gonzales
RepublicanAttorney General
Former Attorney General under George W. Bush who endorsed Kamala Harris, warning that Trump is a serious threat to the rule of law.
Alyssa Farah Griffin
RepublicanWhite House Director of Strategic Communications
Former White House communications director and co-host of The View who said she is 'genuinely afraid' of Trump and voted for Kamala Harris in 2024.
Andrew McCabe
DemocratDeputy Director of the FBI
Former FBI Deputy Director fired by Trump who said the FBI had reason to investigate whether there was an inappropriate relationship between Trump...
Anthony Scaramucci
RepublicanWhite House Communications Director
Former White House communications director who later called Trump a 'clear and present danger' and described his behavior as early-stage fascism, and...
Arnold Schwarzenegger
RepublicanFormer Governor of California
Former California Governor and action movie star who became a vocal Trump critic, particularly on issues of immigration, the Capitol riot, and...
Asa Hutchinson
RepublicanGovernor of Arkansas
Former Arkansas governor and 2024 Republican presidential candidate who said Trump disqualified himself because of January 6 and that Trump should...
Ben Sasse
RepublicanU.S. Senator from Nebraska
Former Republican Senator who denounced efforts to overturn the 2020 election as a dangerous ploy, called colleagues 'institutional arsonists,' and...
Betsy DeVos
RepublicanSecretary of Education
Former Education Secretary who resigned after January 6, saying Trump's rhetoric 'inflamed' the violence and there was 'no mistaking the impact your...
Bill Kristol
IndependentConservative Commentator and Editor
Conservative commentator and Weekly Standard co-founder who publicly called Trump unfit in 2016 and later urged support for Joe Biden in 2020.
Bob Corker
RepublicanU.S. Senator from Tennessee
Former Republican senator who called the White House an "adult day care center," said senior aides were separating the country from chaos, and said...
Cassidy Hutchinson
RepublicanSpecial Assistant to the President
Former White House aide and January 6 Committee witness who testified that Trump knew supporters were armed on January 6 and later said she would...
Charlie Sykes
IndependentConservative Radio Host and Commentator
Conservative commentator and former Milwaukee talk radio host who said he would vote for Joe Biden in 2020 and endorsed Kamala Harris in 2024,...
Chris Christie
RepublicanGovernor of New Jersey
Former Governor of New Jersey and 2024 Republican presidential candidate who called Trump unfit and said he would not enable Trump to become...
Chuck Hagel
RepublicanSecretary of Defense (2013-2015)
Former Secretary of Defense and two-term U.S. Senator from Nebraska who endorsed Kamala Harris in 2024. Hagel, a decorated Vietnam War veteran and...
Cindy McCain
RepublicanWidow of Senator John McCain
Widow of Senator John McCain who endorsed Joe Biden on September 22, 2020, citing a country-first ethic and calling Biden a good and honest man.
Dan Coats
RepublicanDirector of National Intelligence
Former Director of National Intelligence who warned that Trump's alleged mishandling of classified documents could cost lives.
Dick Cheney
RepublicanVice President of the United States
Former Vice President under George W. Bush who called Trump the 'greatest threat to our republic' and said he would vote for Kamala Harris in 2024.
Elaine Chao
RepublicanSecretary of Transportation
Former Transportation Secretary who resigned after January 6, calling the attack "entirely avoidable" and saying she was deeply troubled by it.
Fred Upton
RepublicanU.S. Representative from Michigan
Long-serving Republican Congressman who voted to impeach Trump after January 6 and retired after Trump endorsed his primary opponent.
Gary Cohn
DemocratDirector of the National Economic Council
Former National Economic Council director who said the administration must do better in condemning white supremacists after Charlottesville.
Geoff Duncan
RepublicanLieutenant Governor of Georgia
Former Republican Lieutenant Governor of Georgia who said Trump was morally bankrupt, rejected 2020 election lies, and endorsed Joe Biden at the 2024...
George Conway
RepublicanAttorney and Conservative Commentator
Conservative attorney who became a prominent Trump critic, co-founding the Lincoln Project and saying Trump is unfit for office.
George Will
RepublicanConservative Columnist
Pulitzer Prize-winning conservative columnist who left the Republican Party over Trump and became one of his most intellectually rigorous critics,...
H.R. McMaster
IndependentNational Security Advisor
Lieutenant General, U.S. Army (Retired)Former National Security Advisor who detailed Trump's dangerous ideas and said he abandoned his constitutional oath on January 6.
J. Michael Luttig
RepublicanFederal Appeals Court Judge (1991-2006)
Retired federal judge and conservative legal authority who endorsed Kamala Harris, calling Trump 'unfit to serve' and warning he poses an existential...
James Clapper
DemocratDirector of National Intelligence
Lieutenant General, U.S. Air Force (Retired)Former Director of National Intelligence who questioned Trump's fitness for office and said Putin was handling Trump like an asset after the Helsinki...
James N. Mattis
IndependentSecretary of Defense
General, U.S. Marine Corps (Retired)Former Secretary of Defense who resigned in 2018 and later criticized Trump for divisiveness and abuse of constitutional rights in a 2020 statement.
James Stavridis
IndependentSupreme Allied Commander of NATO
Admiral, U.S. Navy (Retired)Former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO who criticized the use of military force against protesters in 2020 as beyond American norms.
Jeb Bush
RepublicanFormer Governor of Florida
Former Florida Governor and 2016 presidential candidate who became a frequent target of Trump's attacks and emerged as a consistent critic of Trump's...
Jeff Flake
RepublicanU.S. Senator from Arizona
Former Republican senator who delivered a major Senate floor speech warning against the undermining of democratic norms and later endorsed Kamala...
Joe Walsh
RepublicanU.S. Representative from Illinois
Former Tea Party congressman who challenged Trump in the 2020 Republican primary and later endorsed Joe Biden.
John Boehner
RepublicanSpeaker of the House (2011-2015)
Former Speaker of the House who called the January 6 Capitol attack a 'bloody insurrection' and has been sharply critical of Trump's role in it....
John Bolton
RepublicanNational Security Advisor
Former National Security Advisor who called Trump a 'laughing fool' to world leaders and warned he's dangerous to democracy.
John Brennan
DemocratDirector of Central Intelligence
Former CIA Director whose security clearance was revoked by Trump and who called Trump's conduct 'nothing short of treasonous' and a threat to...
John F. Kelly
IndependentWhite House Chief of Staff
General, U.S. Marine Corps (Retired)Trump's longest-serving Chief of Staff who called him a fascist and detailed his admiration for Adolf Hitler.
John Kasich
RepublicanFormer Governor of Ohio
Former Ohio Governor and 2016 presidential candidate who became one of Trump's most prominent Republican critics, refusing to endorse him and...
John McCain
RepublicanU.S. Senator from Arizona
Captain, U.S. Navy (Retired)War hero and U.S. Senator who criticized Trump, including after Trump's attack on his POW record, and cast the decisive vote against the 2017...
Justin Amash
LibertarianU.S. Representative from Michigan
Former Republican congressman who became the first GOP House member to call for Trump's impeachment after the Mueller report and later left the...
Larry Hogan
RepublicanGovernor of Maryland
Former Republican Governor of Maryland who said neither Trump nor Harris had earned his vote in 2024 and who wrote in Ronald Reagan in 2020 instead...
Lisa Murkowski
RepublicanU.S. Senator from Alaska
Republican Senator from Alaska who voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial, endorsed Nikki Haley in the 2024 GOP primary, and said she...
Liz Cheney
RepublicanU.S. Representative from Wyoming
House Republican Conference Chair who served on the January 6 Committee and endorsed Kamala Harris in September 2024 after losing her primary amid...
Mark A. Milley
IndependentChairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
General, U.S. Army (Retired)The nation's highest-ranking military officer who called Trump 'fascist to the core' and 'the most dangerous person to this country.'
Mark Esper
RepublicanSecretary of Defense
Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army (Retired)Former Secretary of Defense who was fired by Trump in a tweet and later said he would not vote for Trump because he does not meet basic criteria for...
Matthew Pottinger
RepublicanDeputy National Security Advisor
Major, U.S. Marine Corps (Retired)Former Deputy National Security Advisor and Marine who resigned after January 6 and testified about his decision to leave following Trump's tweet...
Michael Cohen
DemocratPersonal Attorney to Donald Trump
Trump's former personal attorney and 'fixer' who pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations and became a key witness against Trump, calling him a...
Michael Hayden
RepublicanDirector of Central Intelligence
General, U.S. Air Force (Retired)Former CIA and NSA Director who warned that Trump's style did not fit the intelligence community and said intelligence would be "dead" under another...
Michael Steele
RepublicanFormer RNC Chairman
Former Chairman of the Republican National Committee who became one of Trump's most outspoken Republican critics, frequently appearing on MSNBC to...
Mick Mulvaney
RepublicanWhite House Chief of Staff
Former Acting White House Chief of Staff who resigned as Special Envoy to Northern Ireland after January 6 and said he could not continue serving...
Mike Mullen
IndependentChairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Admiral, U.S. Navy (Retired)Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs who wrote the Atlantic op-ed 'I Cannot Remain Silent' condemning the Lafayette Square photo op and warning...
Mike Pence
RepublicanVice President of the United States
Trump's Vice President who refused to overturn the 2020 election, ran against Trump in the 2024 Republican primaries, and said he would not endorse...
Miles Taylor
RepublicanChief of Staff at Department of Homeland Security
Former DHS Chief of Staff who wrote the anonymous New York Times 'Resistance' op-ed and later endorsed Joe Biden, calling Trump 'a man without...
Mitt Romney
RepublicanU.S. Senator from Utah
Former Republican presidential nominee and U.S. Senator who became Trump's most prominent GOP critic in Congress, voting to convict him in both...
Nikki Haley
RepublicanU.S. Ambassador to the United Nations
Former UN Ambassador and South Carolina Governor who ran against Trump in the 2024 GOP primary, then said he needed to earn her voters and later said...
Olivia Troye
RepublicanHomeland Security Advisor to Vice President Pence
Former homeland security advisor to Vice President Pence who resigned in 2020 and endorsed Joe Biden, criticizing Trump's COVID-19 response.
Pat Toomey
RepublicanFormer U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania
Former Pennsylvania Senator who supported Trump on most policies but became a vocal critic after the 2020 election, voting to convict Trump in his...
Paul Ryan
RepublicanSpeaker of the House
Former Speaker of the House and 2012 Republican vice presidential nominee who retired from Congress in 2019 and was quoted in Tim Alberta's book...
Peter Strzok
DemocratFBI Deputy Assistant Director
Former FBI counterintelligence official who argued Trump's conduct posed a counterintelligence threat and detailed his concerns in the 2020 book...
Preet Bharara
DemocratU.S. Attorney for Southern District of New York
Former U.S. Attorney who was fired by Trump after refusing to resign and later warned that Trump's attacks on institutions are authoritarian in...
Rex Tillerson
RepublicanSecretary of State
Former Secretary of State and ExxonMobil CEO who was fired by Trump via tweet and later called Trump 'undisciplined' and a 'moron' who doesn't like...
Sally Yates
DemocratActing Attorney General
Former Acting Attorney General who was fired after refusing to defend Trump's travel ban, saying she was not convinced it was lawful.
Sarah Matthews
RepublicanWhite House Deputy Press Secretary
Former White House Deputy Press Secretary who resigned on January 6 and became a key witness before the January 6 Committee, warning Trump is 'unfit...
Stanley McChrystal
IndependentCommander of U.S. Forces in Afghanistan
General, U.S. Army (Retired)Former four-star general who led Joint Special Operations Command and called Trump 'immoral' and unrepresentative of American values.
Stephanie Grisham
RepublicanWhite House Press Secretary
Former White House Press Secretary who said she was terrified of Trump running again and later endorsed Kamala Harris in 2024.
Susan Collins
RepublicanU.S. Senator from Maine
Moderate Republican Senator from Maine who condemned Trump's Ukraine conduct in the first impeachment and later wrote in Nikki Haley in 2024.
Ty Cobb
RepublicanWhite House Special Counsel
Former White House lawyer who later called Trump a threat to democracy and said he was the greatest threat the country has faced.
Will Hurd
RepublicanU.S. Representative from Texas
Former CIA officer and Republican Congressman who called Trump a 'lawless, selfish, failed politician,' ran in the 2024 GOP primary, and later...
William Barr
RepublicanAttorney General
Former Attorney General who broke with Trump after the 2020 election and called Trump's fraud claims "bullshit" in sworn testimony.
William McRaven
IndependentCommander, U.S. Special Operations Command
Admiral, U.S. Navy (Retired)Retired four-star admiral who oversaw the raid that killed Osama bin Laden and publicly criticized Trump in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed after the...
These are the people who served alongside Donald Trump — his own cabinet, his generals, his staff. They saw him up close, and they spoke out.